Reading through the manuals and Mother 32 can be set to receive pulse on rise (of wave) in as tempo and Minilogue set sync out to send pulse at top of wave out and they will sync together. So midi not needed. Also the Mother 32 does not seem to be able to not receive clock (starts sequencer) in midi settings, but can divide clock by tempo knob to where it matches up with notes in a sequence being sent to it. Mother 32 will respond to note changes while its sequencer runs, so setting the right clock division just makes it act as if it is playing external sequence normally, but actually the Mother 32 sequencer is synced.
I did this sequencing it with my mv8800. Single notes in 2 measure sequence and set clock divisions with Mother 32 tempo knob to where it was playing the exact sequence with internal sequencer synced to mv8800.
Some cool options I hadn’t explored yet. Minilogue cannot turn off start/stop receive either. MV8800 cannot turn off start/stop send in global that I have found yet, so have to come up with some interesting ways to run sequencers synced. Its workable though.
Any way you could noggin around with the two connected and put it up on Youtube or Soundcloud? It would be cool to hear something from the integration. We talk to SW Friday, looks like we are not getting our Mothers and Mini till Feb 6 …
Sorry, don’t know anything about putting up youtube videos. I have a Soundcloud, but don’t upload unless I have some good material, so will work on that one. I have just been experimenting with my mv8800 driving Mother 32 and Minilogue with KB and Gate outs to multiples on my modular and on to Minibrute CV pitch and Gate ins.
Today I will try to set the Mother to cv clock source and start a sequence on my mv8800 and see if it still sends start command to Mother 32 sequencer. On the Minilogue I already tried an init preset with no sequencer data and it still sends start for sequencer globally, so minilogue sequencer starts up even without sequence data in the preset. I will post whatever results. Just to be clear, they don’t integrate soundwise unless you use the audio source in ability of either to take a raw wave and process through the filters and envelopes. The Mother 32 is doing that now with two oscillators from my modular. I have a square wave and a saw wave plugged into my modulars mixer and outs into Mother 32’s external in jack. You can then blend the internal and external waveforms with Mother 32’s mix knob (the one that is noise source if no external input).
No promises when I have something worth putting up on soundcloud, but eventually will have something.
Rest assured that your Mother 32’s and the Minilogue will sound great together in a mix though. My second Mother 32 probably won’t get to me until late feb or march. I’m not sure on a third yet. Some other Dreadbox modular stuff I’m very interested in. The beauty of all these little modular systems or semi-modular with cv patching and routing is that as long as you have the patch cables and mixer inputs ready to mix the devices, they can all sort of work as one giant modular setup.
Patching the output of the minilogue’s straight oscillators into Mother 32’s external in might be interesting.
I played with tempo source settings on the Mother 32 today. No way to bypass the sync receive if connected to Midi external sequencer. Has to be done by external sequencer. My mv8800 cannot turn off sync in pattern mode but can in song mode. It can still send Midi mmc amd mtc while sync off too, so quite a few options for me there. I noticed assignable out on the Mother 32 has some sequencer out settings. Getting to Mother 32’s menu is really easy. Setting midi receive channel, tempo source, assignable outs all done by number keys after a four key sequence pressed to access menu. Very simple indicator lights by color to see where settings are.
Minilogue settings done very easy too. Has edit mode that can go into global, sequence, or preset and then the modes buttons work to change menus and single knob used to access features in those menus. All very easy.
Just remember the features are a bit limited and that is as it should be. Some options might get added with firmware updates, but these are bargain priced beauties that really are wonderful doing all they do for so little cost.
I have no complaints about either. Zero for what I paid. Working within limits is quite a nice way to work too. If you want a million options and more sound potential, I thonk there are synths out that cost many thousands of dollars that can do that. These don’t cost that, so not expected. They are enough to really get a wide variety of sounds and even rythmic sequencing from. Really really like the way they both sound.
If you were to drive both instruments with a beatstep pro or similar sequencer, I think it would just be some audio nirvana, but you don’t even need that to start having fun with them.
I’ve got pretty damn fat fingers too but I don’t understand the anti-mini-key thing. This is a four voice synth, you’re not going to be playing it like a piano, and there are plenty of “keyboards” that by tradition were never as big as piano keys (think piano accordions, melodicas, all those whacky modular synth touch keyboards) - just think of it as a different instrument, with a different interface. Do Viola players complain about violins not having full-size strings? Hell - there are plenty of guitarists picking up mandolins and ukeles and they seem to cope. This Minilogue looks fantastic - a real analogue poly at a very reasonable price with knobs for almost everything and (by all reports) good build quality. I’ve already got my children on ebay so I can raise the cash.
I toyed around with it for about 15 minutes at NAMM. I had fun with it. Someone I talked to about it (and the Ody that was next to it*) that day described it as sounding “thin,” which I suppose it did. I don’t mind that. I like to evaluate synths based upon the user-friendliness for people like me, who have been around synths for years but never learned how to patch.
*The new Ody is great! I’d buy one over a 20th century model. Sure, the pedigree isn’t there, but the reliability is!
I also toyed with the Minilogue at NAMM. It wins my award as the most sterile anemic polysynth of the show. Korg did a much better job with the Karp Odyssey.
We have the KARP, got it two months ago, love it, but disappointed that Korg did not say they were going to set the new price at $799, instead of the $999 we paid two months ago, we would have waited, never saw an instrument price fall that fast. Back ordered the Minilogue, maybe we should wait till that price falls to $299 this spring …
Had a listen to this and I have to say that little to no part of it sounded appealing to my ear through quality studio monitors.
But then I’m partial to the sounds that a Voyager can come up with. I guess that $499 will only get you so much in the poly synth market.
OTOH, I’m blown away by how much $599 can purchase when buying a Mother32. I have two of them and sonically speaking they blow away most synths at twice the price. Maybe it’s just me, but they sound better to my ear than anything Dave Smith has come out with. Though they exist in vastly different markets, I’m just talking about the pure sonic qualities of a simple drone that either of them can do.
^This. But with the caveat that string players don’t simply “cope” with smaller scales instruments. Ukulele =/= Small Guitar in that I use different and often more efficient fingerings with the uke than I do on its larger cousin.
So, think about it… on mini-keys you can use different fingerings and reach much much wider intervals using one hand. This is a feature not a bug! I absolutely rock the MicroBrute, playing licks I could never pull off on a full-sized weighted 'board.
Perhaps. But a Ukulele was never designed to sound like a Gibson LesPaul and, despite his great musical talent, I can’t imagine Jimmy Page playing an inspired Led Zeppelin lead on that…
Like thousands of keyboard players, I still prefer a full size keyboard with 5 octaves minimally.
If there was no such thing as Midi, do you think manufacturers would still be making mini-key synths?
Mini-keys have been around since when, the 80’s, 70’s? What company made the first one, and why? Piano training for children with small hands? Cheaper alternative to full-size key keyboards? Small and compact size for easy transportation?
What other instrument is like this - having a smaller version of the same thing? A Soprano Sax sounds different than a Tenor Sax so that doesn’t count. The Violin isn’t a smaller Cello, they are different instruments. What pros play kid-size drum kits? Who plays a practice guitar on stage?
I understand mini-keys are portable and cheap, but why are NEW synths with NEW sounds being produced only in portable and cheap packaging? If Korg, Yamaha and Roland really thought highly of their NEW synth engines and/or remakes wouldn’t they feel pros and advanced amateur players would want a full-size version?
Either put full size keys on the thing, or don’t put anything at all on it. I trained my muscles on full size piano keys and it doesn’t translate to minikeys. I will not pay extra $$$ for a controller that I can’t use.
I also won’t spend my money on a synth with knobs or sliders that are too small to use, like the Roland “Boutique” synths. On paper these synths seem like a good deal at a great price, until you try and use them and realize they are just over-priced toys.
Yes and yes. Minikeys are a damned joke, and whatever added cost ($10, $100, who cares) is not justified by adding them. A keyboard fit only for Edward Scissorhands doesn’t belong. I tried to consider “well, they’re there if you need them,” but, well, I don’t need those weak ass keys taking up space. A rack or desktop version of those synths would make much more sense. I mean, the minikeys on tiny synths I suppose could help someone just trigger a note to hear what the patch sounds like, but for that, I guess a “push it” button like the one conceived by Dave Smith might suffice. The only thing keeping me from buying the Karp Odyssey is the damned keys. a desktop version would’ve been great, or simply a full sized version for, what, $300-$400 more? Fine. Done deal. As for the minilogue… umm, just no. It’s pretty cool looking, as I saw one in a store a few days ago, but damn that. I’m sure it’s great, but it ain’t for me.
Now, I’m holding out to see if I can find a discontinued MS-20 kit somewhere so I can build a full sized MS20 with real keys…
around with the two connected and put it up on Youtube or Soundcloud? It would be cool to hear something from the integration. We talk to SW Friday, looks like we are not getting our Mothers and Mini till Feb 6 … 
I absolutely rock the MicroBrute, playing licks I could never pull off on a full-sized weighted 'board.
